"I look forward to being a part of Atlanta, APS and a strong team that is dedicated to supporting students and leading our teachers and staff to academic success for all our students," Jenkins said in a statement.

Dr. Jenkins brings more than 25 years of education experience to APS. He is credited with transforming Michigan's Saginaw Public Schools District, increasing its graduation rate by more than 14 percentage points and reducing the dropout rate by 4.9 percentage points over four years.

(WXIA) -- The Georgia Department of Education has made free interactive digital textbooks available on its website.

Students, parents and educators are welcome to use the books, which feature games, discussion questions, quizzes and other study elements.

They are available for middle and high school courses in such subjects as language arts, math, science, social studies, electives and several world languages -- Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin and Spanish.

State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said students who have used the digital textbook have had much classroom success with them.

(WXIA) -- For the second year in a row, Delta Community Credit Union will sponsor the brass | Media Student Program, which brings financial literacy skills to classrooms across metro Atlanta.

Teachers can register for the program at studentprogram.com. Atlanta-based Delta Community's partnership with the Student Program has helped it reach more than 200,000 students in 159 schools.

One local educator -- Michael Young, a Career & Technical Education teacher at Collins Hill High School in Gwinnett County -- was the 3,000th teacher nationwide to sign up for the program. He said it has strengthened his students' understanding of money and possible career paths, and has helped them prepare for college.

ATLANTA -- Jury selection began Monday for a dozen defendants in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial.

The teachers and administrators have been indicted on mobster-like charges, including racketeering and theft by taking. Prosecutors say they cheated students and pocketed big bonuses.

Four hundred potential jurors have been called. Jury selection is expected to take two to three weeks. The trial itself could last as long as eight months and may be one of the most expensive in state history, with six prosecutors and 12 defense attorneys, hundreds of witnesses and a million documents.

"It is important to provide our students with healthy, nutritious meals to help improve their chances of success and increase their learning opportunities," Georgia Department of Education School Nutrition Director Nancy Rice said in a statement. "Research indicates that eating habits affect learning. We want to ensure all our children are well nourished and ready to learn."

Families that qualify for free and reduced-price lunch will get applications from their children's schools.